On Thursday, three activists, known as the “Spokane 3,” were found guilty of federal conspiracy charges related to their involvement in protests targeting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities in Washington state last year.
The individuals — Jac Archer, Justice Forral, and Bajun Mavalwalla II — faced accusations of trying to obstruct federal officials from moving two detained immigrants from Spokane to Tacoma in June 2025, as reported by KUOW.
These three were part of a larger group of demonstrators who responded to a call on social media by former Spokane City Council President Ben Stuckart, urging supporters to block the transport bus, according to the report.
At the time, Stuckart was acting as a sponsor for one of the two immigrants who were pursuing asylum in the United States.
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Protesters brandish a “Stop ICE” sign after being escorted out by Seattle police during a bill-signing event with Governor Bob Ferguson on March 19, 2026, in Seattle. (Lindsey Wasson/AP)
He was later arrested along with nine other protesters on conspiracy charges.
According to KUOW, Stuckart and five others pleaded guilty in exchange for reduced sentences.
Following Thursday’s verdict, Washington state Rep. Natasha Hill, D-Spokane, criticized Stuckart for not attending the proceedings.
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Federal agents detain an anti-I.C.E. protester outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 12, 2025, during a protest against federal immigration enforcement and policing tactics. (Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty)
“You started this and you couldn’t even show up to finish it,” Hill said. “So I call on you, and I call on others to do what you said you were going to do, and stand up for your community because the fight is not over with this conviction.”
Stuckart later wrote on Facebook that attending the two-week trial would have violated the terms of his parole.
“I feel awful about the guilty verdict,” he wrote. “I feel awful for Jac, Bajun and Justice and their families. I support those that took plea deals and I support those that went to trial.”
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People protest in front of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24, 2026, following the fatal shooting of a man by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis earlier that day. (Alex Wroblewski/AFP via Getty Images)
He also referenced the two detained immigrants.
“I am trying my best to finish what I started by taking care of the guys the government wrongfully took,” Stuckart wrote.
Bajun Mavalwalla Sr., the father of one of the convicted protesters and a congressional candidate, said federal prosecutors were attempting to make an example of his son, according to KUOW.
He accused the government of trying to discourage Americans from speaking out against immigration enforcement policies.
“The right to protest, the right to dissent, the right to assemble — all of those things are now in question because of this case,” he said. “In other cases across the country, the juries were not tainted and the cases have been thrown out.”
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